brutish

[broo-tish]

adjective

1. brutal; cruel.

2. gross; coarse.

3. carnal; sensual.

4. uncivilized.

5. bestial; like an animal.

brutish

/ ˈbruːtɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a brute or brutes; animal

2. coarse; cruel; stupid

Other Word Forms

• brutishly adverb
• brutishness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of brutish¹

First recorded in 1485–95; brute ¹ + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

But in screenwriter Noah Pink’s melodramatic imagining of incidents both well-documented and mysterious, one can see this Hollywood veteran on a mission to loosen the shackles of his reputation and have some nasty, brutish fun.

From Los Angeles Times

“There’s not much there and it’s certainly not intellectually or spiritually illuminating in any way, shape or form. They are brutish entertainers, and that’s it.”

From Los Angeles Times

He comes from a mangled life and he’s very cunning and very brutish.

From Los Angeles Times

Ali, a massive underdog, had cast himself as the charismatic good guy and Foreman the brutish villain.

From BBC

The brazen death spectacle seizes our attention instead — the more cartoonish and brutish, the better.

From Salon

Related Words

• atrocious 
• barbarous 
• bitter 
• brutal 
• callous 
• cold-blooded 
• evil 
• harsh 
• hateful 
• heartless 
• inhuman 
• inhumane 
• merciless 
• painful 
• relentless 
• ruthless 
• sadistic 
• spiteful 
• tyrannical 
• unkind